Waiting for the Call, Blackhawk Goalies....

Summer time and the hockey news slows down to a trickle between camps and contracts. This weeks flutter is the resigning by Wolves parent club the Atlanta Thrashers free agents Scott Lehman and Grant Lewis, two weeks ago goalie Kari Lehtonen inked his contract. Don't expect to see anyone of those names back in Chicago unless the injury bug bites and a reconditioning assignment comes our way.

The Hawks goalie situation still continues to fascinate me, with Nikolai Khabibulin out of the picture, Cristobal Huet, Antti Niemi, and Corey Crawford move up the roster. Both Niemi and Crawford are looking to star in the big show only one will get the call for the opening Hawks game. The Hawks organization has an embarrassment of riches in their stable goalie wise, tough choices will need to be made before it is decided who will be wearing the colors of Chicago or Rockford .

If anyone need reminding what the two top prospects to back up Cristobal Huet look like here are a few images of the boys from Rockford, Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi.


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On a happy side note news has reached us that Mike Peck the voice of the Rockford Icehogs and "Mr Hockey " is back home and recovering with his family. Those of us at Powderhornhockey and it's sister blog Sit Down and Shut Up wish Mike and family a continued recovery and all good things. Including the Chicago style hot dog with the works he has requested.

Ondrej Pavlec- He gone...is there another shoe to drop?

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Almost as I posted the last blog, Ondrej Pavlec was packing his bag. Not for the Rochester/Syracuse road trip this weekend but for a move south. It looks like Robert Gherson and Dan Turple will man the nets for the trip to the Flower city and Central New York . This not so much a surprise move by Atlanta begs two questions, what's going on with Lehtonen and how much for the Finn in the window? Atlanta is heavy in the net with prime talent and there is a sent of a trade in the southern breeze.

Powderhornhockey will do it's best to keep you posted in the revolving nettie doors between Chicago and Atlanta. This isn't as bad as 05' when they were on the verge of dressing a walk on from the boosters but the Wolves may get there yet. Minor league hockey, there is nothing like it in the world is there?

Favorite photos, sometimes you just have to post them...

The Wolves seem to still be in a slump, the weather seems to be holding on to winter for all it's worth, this seems like the perfect time to post one of those self serving favorite photo or "highlight reels" of the last few months. The following images are some of the shots that for some reason didn't seem to fit in any specific category yet stood out form the rest, enjoy!




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It sometimes comes down to relationships around the ice...

Two weeks ago I was covering the IIT/ Blackhawks Alimni game. During the second period a goalie and a defenseman took the ice for IIT. For the next twenty minutes it was a pleasure to watch these two play. They moved like a pair of dancers, knowing instinctively how the other was going to respond to challenges. It was simply beautiful. At the break I managed to find the nettie, yes, they had played together in college and were friends. The more we talked the clearer it dawned on me how important these relationships can be , it's not just "team chemistry" that's a catch phrase. It's the glue, the heart, that holds a team together, or not, during a long season and longer playoff run. As the 07'-08' season turns into the final run of the first half, it will be these intangibles that make the second happen.

As my Canon sits in it's case while my shoulder heals, this is the first wider angle shot, Relationships, on and around the ice....







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Return of the King, Kari Lehtonen a Wolf again.....

It may only be for a three day rehab stint, but Kari Lehtonen is wearing a Wolves jersey once more. Last night the familiar name was announced as the goal tender for the home team and the Tuesday night crowd of 3000 faithful fans greeted the returning hero, our Kari. I had forgotten how tall he was, Kari Lehtonen is one tall dude. His performance? This tall one, classic, the quick butterfly remains and the ermine like movements between the pipes are still there. Upon close observation you can observe changes in his stance, a result of conditioning and working with a core muscle coach to correct a nagging groin problem. What you see is what you get here,a more mature version of the boy that left Chicago two years ago for the NHL.Lehtonen wears the NHL goalie mantle well.

The outcome of the game was never in doubt, the Quad City Flames seemed to never leave the locker room their only a goal in the last 30 seconds placed them on the board. Yet another win for the Wolves, the first for the favorite son in his recovery tour.





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